Dhirubhai Ambani International Model United Nations 2019

Forum: GA4 – Special Political and Decolonisation

Issue: Question of

Student Officer: Ayush Agarwal

Position: Head Chair

Introduction

Cyprus is a small island located in a strategic position in the Mediterranean Sea. The population in Cyprus has been mainly divided into two ethnic groups, the Greek- Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots. Majority of the population (77%) is composed of Greek- Cypriots. The Turkish Cypriots are minority forming 18% of the population. Although the two groups have been historically known to live together in peace, the situation has constantly degraded since Cyprus gained independence in 1960.

Following the independence of Cyprus from the British empire, they formed their own constitution in 1960. The constitution had some flaws in terms of the distribution of power between the two parties. 13 amendments were introduced by the Greek Cypriot president in 1963, which were rejected by the Turkish government. This was soon followed by an intercommunal violence where the situation worsened and ethnic tensions grew further. This is when the United Nations (UN) decided to introduce a United Nation Peacekeeping Force (UNPKF) mission in Cyprus. The mission continues till date.

Making matters further worse, a Greek military organisation engineered a coup in 1974 to overthrow the then president of Cyprus Archbishop Makarios. In this politically unstable situation, there was an invasion by the Turkish troops in Cyprus, who then occupied the northern part of the island. The captured region was declared an independent state called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) by the Turkish troops. However, is the only country in the world to recognise the TRNC as a legitimate state. This ‘partition’ of Cyprus created innumerable problems for the residents and represents the main situation that the UN aims to solve.

During the partition, over 160,000 Greek Cypriots and 50,000 Turkish Cypriots were displaced. Both the sides are accused of certain human rights violations. These include violence against women, police abuse against the individuals displaced due to the partition etc. The Research Report | Page 1 of 16

Dhirubhai Ambani International Model United Nations 2019 properties of various Greek- Cypriots were lost during their movement from one part of the island to the other. Many of these properties were soon distributed by the Turkish government amongst the Turkish Cypriots. The country has faced various economic problems with the most recent financial crisis in 2012- 2013. This politically unstable environment needs immediate reform.

The primary goal now is to reach a conclusion acceptable to both the parties on the political division of the island. The Annan Plan proposed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is an example of one attempt to do so. Due to the conflicting viewpoints of the two parties, reaching a favourable conclusion has become cumbersome. Thus, determining how to conduct successful peace talks is essential to solve the issue.

Definition of Key Terms

Coup d'état1

Sudden defeat of a government through illegal force by a small group, often a military one. Such a military coup took place in Cyprus in 1974 when the Greek Cypriot President Makarios was overthrown.

Enosis

Enosis refers to the union of and Cyprus. Enosis was and still remains the goal of certain Greek Cypriots and was one of the reasons the Greek Military Junta conducted the 1974 military coup.

Exclusive Economic Zone2

An Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a concept adopted at the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (1982), whereby a coastal State assumes jurisdiction over the exploration and exploitation of marine resources in its adjacent section of the continental shelf, taken to be a band extending 200 miles from the shore.

1 “English Dictionary, Translations & Thesaurus.” Cambridge Dictionary. Accessed July 2, 2019. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/. 2 Ibid.

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Federation3

A group of organizations, countries, regions, etc. that have joined together to form a larger organization or government.

Greek military Junta

This was a group of right-wing nationalists who ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974. They were responsible for conducting the coup in 1974 which eventually led to the division of the island.

Referendum4

A vote in which all the people in a country or an area are asked to give their opinion about or decide an important political or social question

Republic5

A country without a king or queen, usually governed by elected representatives of the people and a president

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)

This is the north-eastern portion of the island of Cyprus which is declared as an autonomous state by the Turkish Cypriots. Turkey is the only country in the world to recognise the TRNC.

UN Buffer Zone in Cyprus6

After 1974, most of Cyprus’s Greek and Turkish Cypriots have lived separately in northern and southern regions of the island that are currently divided by a UN-controlled Buffer Zone. The Buffer Zone - also called ‘the Green Line’ - extends approximately 180 km across the island. In some parts of old Nicosia, it is only a few meters wide, while in other areas it is a few kilometres wide. Its northern and southern limits are the lines where the belligerents stood following the ceasefire of 16 August 1974, as recorded by UNFICYP.

3 ibid.

4 Ibid.

5 ibid

6 “About the Buffer Zone.” UNFICYP, June 21, 2019. https://unficyp.unmissions.org/about-buffer-zone. Research Report | Page 3 of 16

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Background Information

Independence of Cyprus and their constitution

Cyprus gained independence from and set up its own constitution on August 16, 1960. This occurred under the London and Zurich agreement signed on February 11, 1959. The agreement laid down certain key points such as:

• The State of Cyprus shall be a Republic with a presidential regime, the President being Greek and the Vice-President Turkish elected by universal suffrage by the Greek and Turkish communities of the island respectively.

• A Treaty guaranteeing the independence, territorial integrity and constitution of the new State of Cyprus shall be concluded between the Republic of Cyprus, Greece, the United Kingdom, and Turkey.

• The President and the Vice-President shall have the right of final veto and the right to return the decision of the Council of Ministers7

The points such as granting the Turkish Cypriot Vice President the veto power were necessary for the political equality, but proved to be disruptive to the political system and were resented by the Greek Cypriots.

Further, separate Greek and Turkish Communal Chambers were created with legislative and administrative powers in regard to education, religion, culture etc. The Supreme Constitutional Court and the High Court of Justice, also had to be presided over by neutral presidents, i.e., not of Greek Cypriot nor Turkish Cypriot origin8. All these constitutional features made it extremely expensive to run the government and acted as a divide, further increasing the ethnic tensions.

In response, the Greek Cypriot President introduced 13 amendments to the constitution in November, 1963. Some key points of the amendments are:

7 Cyprus History: Zürich Agreement. Accessed June 29, 2019. http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/history/republic/agmt-zurich.html. 8 “Cyprus » The 1960 Constitution in Brief.” Cyprus RSS. Accessed June 29, 2019. http://www.greece.org/cyprus/?page_id=25. Research Report | Page 4 of 16

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• The Greek-Cypriot President and the Turkish-Cypriot Vice-President will be elected by the Greek-Cypriot dominated House of Representatives as a whole (not by the Greek- Cypriot and Turkish- Cypriot members separately);

• Remove the veto powers of the Turkish-Cypriots;

• Reduce the Turkish-Cypriot component in the civil and military arms of government;

• Abolish the separate community voting on fiscal, electoral, and some other matters;

These amendments were rejected by the Turkish Cypriots immediately as they considered them to be biased towards the Greek Cypriots. This was ultimately followed by a constitutional breakdown where the Turkish Cypriots withdrew from the government.

Intercommunal violence of 1963

Following the constitutional breakdown, the control of the Greek Cypriots increased significantly and there was a delicate political environment. On December 21, 1963 there was incident in which the Greek Cypriot Police was involved in killing a few Turkish Cypriots over an ID issue. The same day, the Turkish Paramilitary Organisation, TMT, conducted various attacks on the Greek Cypriots and tensions between the groups further worsened. There were a lot of attacks on the Turkish villages causing widespread displacement of the Turkish people.

President Makarios was fearful that Turkey might carry out a threat to invade and agreed to British intervention from its bases on the island. With the involvement of the British troops, the death toll on both the sides reduced.

Soon after this, the UN introduced the UNPKF mission in Cyprus called the UNFICYP consisting of over 6500 soldiers. These soldiers manned a “Green Line” which passed through the conflicted regions of the republic. Image 1- The UK sovereign bases in Cyprus and the UN Buffer zone1

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1974 Military Coup and division of the island

‘By 1967, the Greek military organisation called the Greek military Junta had taken control of Greece. These right-wing nationalists asked President Makarios to regard as the national centre and disregard his foreign minister. Thus, the relations between the junta and the Cypriot President, Archbishop Makarios, became increasingly strained. This led to the belief that Makarios was acting as an obstruction to achieve the goal of Enosis.

As a result, the military junta in Athens engineered a coup in July 1974 to overthrow Makarios. Makarios managed to flee to Britain through one of their sovereign bases. 9 The Turks feared that this would soon lead to enosis and sent the Turkish troops to Cyprus to support the Turkish Cypriot community. This was allowed under the Treaty of Guarantee (see relevant treaties section) signed after the London and Zurich agreements. Under the treaty, the purpose of the intervention was to re-establish state affairs guaranteed by the basic articles of the 1960 Constitution. Thus, the intervention was welcomed by the world generally at first.

The coup quickly dissolved and Greece's military junta collapsed and as the situation advanced further, the three guarantor powers Turkey, Greece, and Britain met in Geneva10. Meanwhile, the Turkish troops expanded their position on the island. On 30 July the powers agreed that the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island should be linked to a “just and lasting settlement acceptable to all parties concerned”. The declaration also spoke of “two autonomous administrations -that of Greek-Cypriot community and that of the Turkish-Cypriot community”.10

At the second conference in Geneva, Turkey presented various “cantonal plan involving separation of Turkish-Cypriot areas from one another for a federal arrangement”10, which was strongly opposed by the Greeks. These plans demanded about 34% territory. The Turkish minister pressed for an immediate response, which was considered unreasonable by the Greeks, British and Americans. However, the Turkish forces still advanced and gained control over 36% of the island.

Soon the fighting started, and up to 160,000 Greek- Cypriots fled to the southern part of the island. Around 50,000 Turkish Cypriots fled to the northern part of the island later. Thus, the island was effectively divided into two portions as indicated by the map below.

9 Cyprus History: 1974 Greek Coup d'etat & Turkish Intervention. Accessed June 30, 2019. http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/history/republic/1974.html. 10 Housden, Tom. “Cyprus: How the Crisis Unfolded.” BBC News. BBC, April 1, 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1760565.stm. Research Report | Page 6 of 16

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Figure 2- Structure of the divided island11

As seen, the island was divided along a line stretching from Morphou in the west through Nicosia to Farmagusta. This is the buffer zone which is still patrolled by the UNPKF. In February 1975, the Turks announced the establishment of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus. Eight years later, they declared the region as an autonomous state called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Turkey is the only country in the world to recognise TRNC as a state. The UNSC has also passed a resolution (resolution 541) asking countries not to recognise any government other than the Republic of Cyprus as the authority in Cyprus.

Current Political, Humanitarian, and Economic Situation

As previously stated, around 200,000 Cypriots were displaced because of the division of the island. The movement of so many Cypriots in such a short period of time has caused multiple issues. Many Greek Cypriots displaced from their homes still have their properties situated in the TRNC. Further, Turkey has not complied with the SC and GA resolutions asking for “urgent measures to facilitate the voluntary return of all refugees to their homes in safety and to settle all other aspects of the refugee problem”.11 Further, around 1619 people were recorded missing.

Determining the effective way of dividing the island, acceptable to both the parties is the main issue that remains to be resolved. Since the division of the island in 1974, the UN has

11 “Violations of Human Rights in Cyprus.” CyprusNet. Accessed June 30, 2019. https://www.cyprusnet.com/article/violations-of-human-rights-in-cyprus.html. Research Report | Page 7 of 16

Dhirubhai Ambani International Model United Nations 2019 conducted multiple peace talks and initiated multiple peace plans to achieve this objective. However, there has been little progress. This is mainly due to the strict difference in beliefs between the two parties. The most notable has been the Annan Plan of 2004, which aimed to create a unified republic of Cyprus with a federation of the two states.

Turkey has been constantly accused of human rights violations in Cyprus since 1974. Some accusations were confirmed by the European court of Human rights on 10 May 2001. These include serious violations of basic human rights and fundamental freedoms. Some other accusations include rape, forced labour, separation of families etc.

Republic of Cyprus also applied for membership with the EU, and became a full member in 2004. It also became a Eurozone country (adopting Euro as its official currency) in 2008. Since then, Republic of Cyprus (RoC) has faced certain economic problems. It faced a recession in 2009. With the rising Greek debt, financial sector in Cyprus faced a great blow. In 2012 Cyprus faced a great financial crisis, for which a 10 billion Euro was announced. The economic situation is important to be considered as these problems impact the quality of discussions of the peace talks.

Cyprus and Turkey have also been in a dispute since 2018 regarding off shore drilling in Cyprus’s EEZ (See Definition of Key Terms section). In June 2019, Greece and Cyprus requested the EU to issue sanctions against Turkey for deploying a drilling ship in the north eastern coast of Cyprus.12

Major Countries and Organizations Involved

European Union

Cyprus has been a part of the EU since 2004. The laws under the Acquis Communautaire (collection of laws, regulations, directives etc of the EU) are applicable in Southern Cyprus. Cyprus is a part of the Eurozone, but has a relatively weaker economy as compared to the others. Thus, the interests of the of the eurozone countries are at stake too in this issue. The EU has imposed various sanctions on TRNC and continues impose restrictions on them. Tukey’s interactions with the EU also significantly impact the issue at hand.

Greece

12 Psaropoulos, John. “Cyprus Drilling Dispute Calls for Sanctions against Turkey.” Cyprus News | Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, June 21, 2019. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/06/cyprus-drilling-dispute-calls-sanctions-turkey- 190621104738647.html.

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Greece has connections with the RoC since it was created. Many Greek Cypriots have a strong affinity for Greece and still pursue their goal for enosis. Greeks also form a cultural majority in Cyprus, and considering the ethnic tensions, its role becomes very important. It is actively involved in the conflict and an integral party in the peace talks.

Although Greece supports Turkish forces leaving Cyprus, leading to reunification of the island, the financial problems of Greece which have left an impact on Cyprus has caused certain Cypriots to disregard the goal of Enosis.

Republic of Cyprus

The international community believes that the government of the RoC is the only legitimate government in Cyprus and the TRNC is a military organisation occupying a part of the nation illegally. The TRNC has declared itself an independent state recognised only by Turkey. Thus, they do not deal with the RoC and the views of the RoC will express the Greek Cypriot viewpoint. The RoC is closely aligned with Greece and the foreign policy of the RoC has been mainly directed towards withdrawal of the Turkish forces from Cyprus to lead to a favourable and constitutional settlement of the land dispute.

Turkey

As mentioned, Turkey is the only country in the world to recognise the TRNC as a legitimate state. Rather, Turkey refuses to recognise the government of the Republic of Cyprus. They believe that the RoC ceased to exist after the inter-communal violence of 1963, when the Turkish Cypriots withdrew their participation from the government of Cyprus. Sometimes, it has referred to the RoC as “The Greek Cypriot Administration of South Cyprus”.

Turkey is one of the three guarantor powers in Cyprus, and their involvement is crucial to reach an acceptable solution to the problem. The Turkish army in Cyprus also significantly impacts the political landscape of Cyprus. It has been constantly pressured by the United Kingdom (UK) to remove troops from Cyprus.

United Kingdom

Along with Greece and Turkey, it is the third country to sign the Treaty of Guarantee for Cyprus. It has a sovereign territory in southern Cyprus, constituting 3% of the entire country. British has a huge historic role in the crisis. It was responsible for using its troops to decrease the violence in 1963. It was also responsible for appealing to the Security Council to send UNPKF to guard the buffer zone in Cyprus.

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United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)

The UNFICYP is a peacekeeping operation launched by the UN Security Council in April 1964 in response to ethnic violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots in 1963 which followed an attempt by the Greek Cypriot majority government to alter the national constitution in a way which would have reduced the power of the Turkish Cypriot minority.13

Timeline of Events

Date Description of event

The London- Zurich agreement signed marking the formation of the 1959-1960 Republic of Cyprus. The treaty of guarantee was signed and the constitution of the RoC was drafted

The intercommunal violence and proposition of amendments to the 1963 constitution by President Makarios

The UNSC passed resolution 186 to declare the formation of the 4th March 1964 UNFICYP

The Greek military coup and Turkish which led to the partition of the 1974 island

In November, 1983, the Turks proclaimed the creation of the TRNC. 1983 Soon after, the UNSC passed a resolution asking member nations to consider TRNC to be “legally invalid”

August 1992-1994 The Ghali Set of Ideas were introduced and the peace processes were initiated before being rejected by the two parties in 1994

November 2002 The Annan Peace Plan for Cyprus was introduced

13 Asmussen, Jan. “United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) - Oxford Handbooks.” Oxford Handbooks - Scholarly Research Reviews, June 16, 2017. https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199686049.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199686049- e-24. Research Report | Page 10 of 16

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24th April 2004 The Annan Peace Plan was rejected in a twin referendum

1st May 2004 The Republic of Cyprus became a part of the European Union

Cyprus becomes a Eurozone country, adopting Euro as its official 1st January 2008 currency

Cyprus, while facing a financial crisis, requests for an economic bailout July 2012 program

11th February 2014 Two Cypriot leaders released a joint declaration on Cyprus

Relevant Treaties and Events

● The treaty of guarantee: Treaty of guarantee was a treaty signed by United Kingdom (UK), Turkey, and Greece in 1960. The treaty stated that the said three powers (Greece, Britain, Turkey) were given the right of joint or even unilateral action for the purpose of re- establishing the state of affairs created by the Treaty.14 ● UNSC Resolution 186 - 4 March 1964 [S/5575]: This is the resolution which addressed the need to form the UNFICYP, after the 1963 attacks which played a huge role in changing the political landscape of Cyprus. The UNFICYP plays a very important role in terms of regulating the buffer zone and maintaining peace there. ● UNSC Resolution 2369- 27 July, 2017 (S/RES/2369): This was a resolution introduced by UK, which asked Cyprus to allow entry of deminers to carry out their demining efforts in the areas around the buffer zone. It also talked about conducting a review of the UNFICYP to determine its future importance. ● UNSC Resolution 353 – 20 July, 1974 (S/RES/353): This was the resolution introduced after the military coup of 1974. The military coup caused the Greek President Makarios to be overthrown and allowed the guarantor state Turkey to send in its troops to Cyprus, which one of the main reasons for the conflict today. The resolution asked the concerned parties to respect the sovereignty of Cyprus and asked for the withdrawal of foreign militaries.

14 Zurich and London Agreements - The Constitution - The Treatie. Accessed June 15, 2019. http://www.hri.org/Cyprus/Cyprus_Problem/p_zurich.html. Research Report | Page 11 of 16

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● UNSC Resolution 541- 18 November 1983: In this resolution the member states were asked “not to recognise any Cypriot State other than the Republic of Cyprus”. This resolution is important considering its outlook towards the TRNC.

Previous Attempts to solve the Issue

Annan Plan: The Annan Peace plan was proposed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2004. It was an attempt to form a unified Republic of Cyprus by forming a federation of the 2 states. It sought to create “an independent state in the form of an indissoluble partnership, with a federal government and two equal constituent states, the Greek Cypriot State and the Turkish Cypriot State”. In twin referendums on 24 April 2004, Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly rejected the Annan plan. The plan included changes such as reducing the territorial share of the Turkish Cypriots from 36.2% to 28.5% since they made only 18% of the total population. The plan included measures for effective governance and property management as well. In terms of security, the plan aimed for a “phased demilitarisation of Cyprus”, specifying the amount of troops Cyprus and Turkey are allowed to station in a given period of time and reducing this number steadily leading to total withdrawal of forces eventually. The Annan Plan was well received by the Turkish Cypriots because it meant their entry into the “EU alongside with the Greek Cypriots in a united Cyprus”15. Greece and Turkey also supported the plan. Turkey had acknowledged that its chances of being a member of the EU will increase significantly if the plan was adopted. However, the Greek Cypriots did not face any incentive to adopt the plan as they were certain that they were becoming members of the EU in 2004. Further, the Greek Cypriot president Tassos Papadopoulos was strictly opposed to the plan and made various speeches against it, saying that the plan, “tailored to suit Turkish interests at the expense of Greek Cypriot rights and would legalise the island’s de facto partition instead of reuniting it”16. The Annan Plan remains an excellent example of how a comprehensive plan was rejected because it did not completely please all the parties. The failure of the Annan Plan must be considered to come up with effective solutions to the issue. Ghali Set of Ideas: The Ghali set of ideas were introduced in August 1992, by the UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali which looked at Cyprus as a “reunited as a bi-

15 “The Peace Processes: 2004 Annan Plan.” Cyprus Mail, June 10, 2019. https://cyprus-mail.com/2016/12/29/peace- plans-2004-annan-plan/.

16 ibid Research Report | Page 12 of 16

Dhirubhai Ambani International Model United Nations 2019 communal, bi-zonal federation with a single, indivisible sovereignty”17. The “set of ideas” talked about the issue of security and governance primarily. Parts of the plan looked promising to both the communities, but certain plans were strongly opposed by them. The negotiations for the plans were suspended for the Greek Cypriot presidential election in February, 1993. After the elections, the elected president was against the ideas and the talks were finally terminated when there was a great Turkish resistance to Cyprus’ eligibility to join the EU. Other Peace Talks: Multiple rounds of Peace Talks have been conducted since the Annan Peace Plan to formulate a solution for this longstanding issue. From 2008 to 2012, a series of multilateral negotiations were conducted, primarily between the three guarantor powers. These negotiations were based on the plan to form “a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as defined by relevant Security Council resolutions.”18 However, these negotiations did not bring about much change. In 2010, former UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon asked the leaders of the two communities on the Mediterranean island “to step up their efforts to reach agreement”19. Following this, the talks were resumed on 11th February 2014, when two leaders representing the Greek and Turkish Cypriot community released a joint declaration stating that “status quo is unacceptable and its prolongation will have negative consequences for the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.” “The leaders also expressed their determination to resume structured negotiations in a results-oriented manner.”20

Possible Solutions

Bilateral or multilateral peace talks: Conducting bilateral or multilateral talks while keeping in mind the reasons for failure of the previous talks. These talks need to be designed in detail including the location, neutral bodies and specific aims such as determining the future presence of the Turkish military in the TRNC, determining the future course of the division of the island (such as forming a federation including the extent of the division of the territory) etc. Issues such as loss of property during the division and providing them back to the citizens also need to be discussed.

17 “The Peace Processes: 1992-1994 Ghali Set of Ideas.” Cyprus Mail, June 10, 2019. https://cyprus- mail.com/2016/12/29/peace-plans-1992-1994-ghali-set-ideas/. 18 “Mutually Beneficial Solution to the Cyprus Problem 'within Reach,' Ban Says.” United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC). Accessed July 14, 2019. https://unric.org/en/latest-news/26092-mutually- beneficial-solution-to-the-cyprus-problem-within-reach-ban-says. 19 ibid 20 “11 February 2014 Joint Declaration on Cyprus.” 11 February 2014 Joint Declaration on Cyprus | UN Cyprus Talks. Accessed July 14, 2019. http://www.uncyprustalks.org/11-february-2014-joint-declaration-on-cyprus/.

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Promoting cooperation of the TRNC or taking other necessary actions: The TRNC can be provided incentives such as advising changes in the constitution which provides more equal rights to the Turkish Cypriots. These constitutional changes could include laws such as rotating presidents for the republic. Since, the Annan Plan of 2004 failed due to non-cooperation of the Greek Cypriots, there is a need to come up with ways which provides incentives to the Greek Cypriots as well to come to a solution. Revisions to the treaty of Guarantee: As a possible solution, a revision to the Treaty of Guarantee can also be recommended. This revision could curb the ability of the concerned parties to act unilaterally as this is what originally allowed Turkey to bring in its troops in Cyprus. There is a need to assess the relevance and the importance of the Treaty of Guarantee in the present context and determine the future actions to be taken for it. Recommendation for ultimatums to Turkey: Recommendations can be given to the UNSC to give an ultimatum to Turkey if certain conditions are not met. These conditions could include removal of troops by a certain amount and/or returning the lost property of the Greek Cypriots back with the necessary provisions such as ceding some of their territory to the Republic of Cyprus. Partition the country or forming a federal state: Some Greek Cypriots political parties are in favour of this plan of forming a federation, and if enough support can be garnered, this plan can be pursued. Forming a federal state was also the intended solution of the Annan Plan. Measures to improve the human rights situation in Cyprus: There are a number of human right violations in Cyprus including, rapes, murders, seizure of property etc. NGOs such as Amnesty International could be used for improving the human rights situation in Cyprus. Amnesty could help encourage citizens to claim their rights. To improve the human rights situation in Cyprus, the property dispute going on since the partition of the island in 1974 will also have to be solved. The properties of the Greek Cypriots cannot be distributed to the Turkish Cypriots if abandoned due to displacement. A better framework for property registration would have to be built up. Prevention of violation of human rights can advance the political situation as the leaders of the Turkish and Greek Cypriots are divided on these terms too. In many peace talks, they were unwilling to collaborate due to these local issues. Thus, solutions in this regard can help advance the situation and help in breaking the deadlock. Measures to improve the economic situation in Cyprus: To further break the deadlock, measures to improve the economic condition need to be taken as well. Although, Cyprus has taken various measures to make its economy more open since the financial crisis of 2012, efforts to increase tourism have yet to be made. Due to the buffer zone and the

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Dhirubhai Ambani International Model United Nations 2019 restrictions of travel between North and South Cyprus, tourism is affected. Such restrictions have to be addressed to make the economy more stable. Further, lowering interest rates and other similar solutions are advised to improve the economic conditions. UNFICYP and the buffer zone in Cyprus: Provisions can be made for demining of the buffer zone in Cyprus. The committee can review UNFICYP and determine its future course of action. Educational Campaigns: Introducing educational campaigns informing the citizens the need for tolerance and respect towards the views of other communities so that the ethnic tensions are controlled as well as education in general is promoted.

Bibliography

i. “Chan, Sewell. “Cyprus: Why One of the World's Most Intractable Conflicts Continues.” The New York Times. The New York Times, November 8, 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/08/world/europe/cyprus-reunification-talks.html. ii. Cyprus - British Annexation. Accessed June 15, 2019. http://countrystudies.us/cyprus/9.htm. iii. Cyprus - Intercommunal Violence, 1963-67. Accessed June 15, 2019. http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-3600.html. iv. Cyprus History through the Ages. Accessed June 15, 2019. http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/history/index.html. v. Housden, Tom. “Cyprus: How the Crisis Unfolded.” BBC News. BBC, April 1, 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1760565.stm. vi. “Lost Property in Northern Cyprus – The Immoveable Property Commission.” Worldwide Lawyers. Accessed June 15, 2019. https://worldwidelawyers.co.uk/2015/05/04/lost- property-in-northern-cyprus-the-immoveable-property-compensation-commission/. vii. “The Cyprus Problem: Why Solve a Comfortable Conflict?” Oxford Research Group, June 12, 2018. https://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/blog/the-cyprus-problem-why- solve-a-comfortable-conflict. viii. Zurich and London Agreements - The Constitution - The Treatie. Accessed June 15, 2019. http://www.hri.org/Cyprus/Cyprus_Problem/p_zurich.html. ix. “Cyprus.” U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State. Accessed June 18, 2019. https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78807.htm. x. Asmussen, Jan. “United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) - Oxford Handbooks.” Oxford Handbooks - Scholarly Research Reviews, June 16, 2017.

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https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199686049.001.0001/oxf ordhb-9780199686049-e-24. xi. “About the Buffer Zone.” UNFICYP, June 21, 2019. https://unficyp.unmissions.org/about- buffer-zone. xii. “The Peace Processes: 2004 Annan Plan.” Cyprus Mail, June 10, 2019. https://cyprus- mail.com/2016/12/29/peace-plans-2004-annan-plan/. xiii. Cyprus History: Zürich Agreement. Accessed June 29, 2019. http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/history/republic/agmt-zurich.html. xiv. “Cyprus » The 1960 Constitution in Brief.” Cyprus RSS. Accessed June 29, 2019. http://www.greece.org/cyprus/?page_id=25. xv. “The Green Line That ‘Divides’ the Island of Cyprus: - Where Did the Name Come from and What Does It Mean?” lets travel. Accessed June 29, 2019. https://www.cyprusalive.com/en/i-prasini-grammi-pou-xwrizei-to-nisi-tis-kyprou. xvi. Cyprus History: 1974 Greek Coup d'etat & Turkish Intervention. Accessed June 30, 2019. http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/history/republic/1974.html. xvii. Deutsche Welle. “Cyprus May Torpedo EU-Turkey Refugee Deal | DW | 15.03.2016.” DW.COM. Accessed June 30, 2019. http://www.dw.com/en/cyprus-may-torpedo-eu- turkey-deal/a-19118971#. xviii. “The Peace Processes: 1992-1994 Ghali Set of Ideas.” Cyprus Mail, June 10, 2019. https://cyprus-mail.com/2016/12/29/peace-plans-1992-1994-ghali-set-ideas/. xix. “COUP D'ÉTAT | Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary.” Cambridge Dictionary. Accessed July 2, 2019. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/coup-d-etat. xx. Psaropoulos, John. “Cyprus Drilling Dispute Calls for Sanctions against Turkey.” Cyprus News | Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera, June 21, 2019. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/06/cyprus-drilling-dispute-calls-sanctions-turkey- 190621104738647.html.

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